Product Features and Details
Next18 FS, electric locomotive E.444 002 prototype, in original livery, silver trim, black bogies.
The prototype E.444 001 was delivered in July 1967 and immediately subjected to extensive testing and trial runs. It reached speeds of over 200 km/h on the Milan–Bologna and Rome–Naples lines, culminating in a presentation run on November 8, 1967. By the end of 1968, prototypes 002, 003, and 004 had followed. These were assigned to the Rome San Lorenzo depot and were primarily used on the Tyrrhenian line. Meanwhile, the production locomotives took over the main services on the most important lines. Over the years, the prototypes underwent several technical and visual modifications, including the removal of the aluminum trim in the 1980s. Their active service ended in 1991. Today the E.444 001 is on display at the Pietrarsa Railway Museum.
